Nearly half of Gen Z says Christians’ support for President Donald Trump has made them less likely to attend church, according to new research that suggests politics remains one of the biggest obstacles between young adults and local congregations.
The study, conducted by the Billy Graham Center Research Institute at Wheaton College, surveyed 2,365 Americans ages 18 to 28 through NORC’s AmeriSpeak panel. Nearly half of respondents (48%) agreed that Christians’ support for President Trump has made them less likely to attend church. Nineteen percent strongly agreed, 14% agreed and another 15% slightly agreed.
The finding comes with an important caveat: researchers say Gen Z isn’t losing interest in spirituality. If anything, many young adults remain open to faith.
A 2025 Barna Group study found that 52% of U.S. Gen Zers are “very motivated” to learn more about Jesus, and 77% express at least some interest. Only about 20% say they’re completely unmotivated. That’s a massive level of openness, especially in a culture where religious affiliation is on the decline.
“Though religious affiliation and church attendance continue to decline, spiritual openness and curiosity are on the rise,” Kinnaman said. “Across every generation, we see an unprecedented desire to grow spiritually, a belief in a spiritual/supernatural dimension, and a belief in God or a higher power.”
The challenge, experts say, is rebuilding trust in churches.
“We realized that spiritual interest among Gen Z young adults is quite high but engagement with churches has decreased over time,” Rick Richardson, professor of evangelism and leadership at Wheaton College and the study’s lead researcher, said. He pointed to what he described as an increase in interest among young men, particularly within more traditional denominations like the Catholic Church.
Richardson said political partisanship emerged as one of several factors discouraging young adults from attending church, alongside moral concerns and the influence of social media.
“Young adults are not looking for churches to agree with them on every issue,” Richardson said. “But they are looking for churches and pastors to be deeply honest and direct about where they are at and why.”
He argued that transparency and authenticity matter more than ideological agreement. “Knowing the why helps young adults trust and reengage again,” he said, adding that churches willing to genuinely listen to differing perspectives are more likely to reconnect with Gen Z.
